Whittaker is a former UFC middleweight champion who has become a fan favorite for his exciting fighting style and personality. “The Reaper” has shared the Octagon with the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis and Yoel Romero, to name a few.
Things haven’t been going well for Whittaker in the Octagon lately. He plans to make the jump to 205 pounds. During his performance op “Submission Radio,” Whittaker responded to those who think he’s too small for the division (h/t MMAfighting).
“I’m going to try,” Whittaker said. “I know a lot of naysayers, a lot of things on the internet that say ‘little this, small that’. Shut up, dude. I want to try. I’m at the end of my career, so I have to try instead of just thinking about what if.”
Whittaker said the thought of leaving the middleweight division is not new.
“I’ve been playing with the idea for a long time,” Whittaker said. “During the break I trained at a heavier weight. I want to lock in and move up to this weight division. I have no doubt that I could go to middleweight. I can still hold it, I can lose weight, but I just don’t know if I’m getting the best out of myself by cutting that weight. The camp performance really suffers on the weight card and a lot of fighters can testify to that.”
Whittaker has fallen short in his last two outings. He quickly took out Chimaev during their October 2024 clash due to a facial crank, which aggravated Whittaker’s previous dental issues. Once Whittaker solved that problem, he shared the Octagon with Reinier de Ridder. The former 185-pound champion lost the fight via split decision.
How do you think Robert Whittaker will fare in the light heavyweight division? Sound off in the comments below.
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